I was reminded by a friend this week, that bridges are built one strut at a time.
Even those bridges that the army seem to throw up in minutes started as a single strut, possibly in some factory somewhere, and were meticulously planned and put together...one strut at a time.  Imagine the consequences if they weren’t...?
Anything that’s going to last, and be of any real value has to be well constructed...be it a bridge...a friendship...or a business!
Yes, you can chuck something up overnight, with little thought or preparation, and even with poor materials...but will it stand the test of time?
A relationship that starts with a drunken night of fumbled passion, may be very exciting and a lot of fun...and may last for a while...maybe even months.  But the relationships that really last are those that are built on friendship.  The friendships that last, built on firm foundations like mutual understanding, fun, shared dreams, a common purpose...and at least one real, or virtual hug a day!
It’s pretty much the same with a business...although maybe without the hugs.
There are so many businesses that appear overnight and take off like a rocket...a small team, a great product, their customers love them, they have excellent early sales. And then what happens?  They try to grow...they hire new people...they take on new customers...they move to a bigger premises...they have no plan for business growth...they have no systems in place...things start to unravel...and they fail.
The businesses that last are built to last. They have strong foundations.  They have a vision, a strategy, a clear picture of where they’re going and how they’re going to get there.  They have systems, processes and procedures.  They have a plan for business growth.

They build their bridge one strut at a time.
And I guess that’s the choice we all have, whether we're building bridges, re-building friendships or growing a business.  Do we want the instant gratification and excitement of an intense but ultimately shallow and short-lived experience...or do we want to build something strong and stable that will give us long-lasting gratification and fulfilment?
Personally, I’m building for the long-term...one hug at a time.
How about you?

Contact Marianne Page Limited at hello@mariannepage.co.uk

Why is it that so many good businesses hire people who are unfriendly and have no interest in being of service to anyone, let alone a paying customer?

Why would we put someone out there who we know is rude and difficult; who we know will be curt and unhelpful with our customers?

Why do we compromise our own high standards and hire people who have a good cv rather than a good attitude when we know that there is a good chance that they will not serve our customers - the people our business relies on to survive - well?

When it comes to our customer experience...it’s not only about solving their problem and fulfilling a need...it’s about having that desire to make our customer feel special and to build strong and lasting relationships.  You have to have the right attitude...the right culture in your business...to achieve that.

The companies who really get this were built around customer experience...companies like Virgin, Disney, Apple were founded on the belief that the customer’s experience is everything, and they do what they need to do, to make that experience, not only the best it can be...but special.

And that includes having the structure and process in place onto which can be built the ‘magic’.

Your service won’t work without efficient systems to support it, and great people to work the systems.  Revenue won’t build if your culture is about the transaction and not the relationship.

Bring these elements together and you’ll find that not only do you have great relationships with your customers...but you will have more of them too.  It’s the best way...perhaps the only way...to grow your business.

Contact Marianne Page Limited at hello@mariannepage.co.uk

There's a reason why McDonald's are so successful...why they have grown from one restaurant in the backwaters of Illinois, to 34,000 restaurants, and counting around the globe.

You can look at society's ever increasing need to have their food fast; you can talk about how much kids love their Happy Meals; you can even put it down to the fact that they are a very affordable choice during a recession.

But the truth is that the majority of McDonald's initial and continued success can be attributed to the combination of passion + people + process.

So why don't more businesses copy their formula..?

There are so many successful businesses out there...with great products and great people...that have grown from a ‘one man band’ to find themselves with a team, a group of loyal customers and a pretty ok turnover.  Life should be good....

But instead the owners find that as the team has grown, so has their workload.  What used to work well when they were small, now just isn't and they've become less efficient.

Costs have gone up...profits have gone down.

They have good people but they just don’t trust them to do the job like they would and end up wasting time checking up on them and duplicating their work.

Without realising it, they've become a Wacky Races operation where everyone is going in roughly the same direction, but in their own way and at their own speed, when what they set out to be was a Formula One operation - a high performing team where everyone knows exactly what they are doing, how it fits into the bigger picture, and that they are responsible for doing it to a high standard.

That’s the sort of operation that needs a strong platform of process and systems. The sort of operation that McDonald's has built their success on.

As a small business you need to know where you're inefficient and where you're duplicating effort and how to tweak or redesign your process and systems to make real and significant impact on your team and your bottom line.

There are only four key areas in your business where you need to look...areas where you can either save money or make more money.

Firstly, there's your operation...is it as lean as it could be?
Where are you duplicating effort?
How are you using IT to support your people, and is it the right IT?
Where is the crazy ‘but we’ve always done it this way’ system in your operation?

Next your people systems...
What sort of training do you have in place?
How do you manage and reward performance?
How do you root out poor performers and keep your whole team engaged?

Thirdly, your service model...is it built around your customer?
Are you giving them the sort of experience from ‘introduction to invoice’ that will make sure they come back for more?

And finally your financial controls...the numbers that you are focusing on, the reports you are asking for.  Do you have a dashboard of information that highlights the key areas needing your attention on a monthly basis and keeps you focused on continuous improvement.

1 in 3 businesses fail in their first three years...the average small business wastes around £2500 pm through inefficiency and waste...and even the successful business owner stunts their own growth by being far too busy working in the business to work on it.

Having simple, logical and repeatable processes and systems gives your people the opportunity to grow, develop and take personal responsibility...and gives you more time, more control and more profit.

If you have the ambition, it could even see you grow your business through franchising to McDonald's proportions!
And why not...?!

Contact Marianne Page Limited at hello@mariannepage.co.uk

When Sir Alex Ferguson retired this week and the plaudits reined in, I was struck by the tribute of the Spurs Manager, AVB who spoke with some sadness, of how young coaches like him had lost their role model...their great example of what it takes to be a manager.  He talked of charisma, of passion and desire, of reinventing yourself and your team/business when the need arose, of legacy...and of human values.

What business owner would not want the same things to be said of them as they hang up their entrepreneurial hat?
Fergie was/is a fantastic role model for anyone who wants to be a success in any walk of life...but particularly in business.  Is he a saint?  Not a chance.  But you model the best qualities of your role models, and learn from their frailties.

I started to think of Sir Alex as a role model a couple of weeks ago, when he won his 20th League title, with his fourth...or was it his fifth different squad of players.  Like many others, I love his charismatic personality that powerful yet charming presence that inspires and motivates; I love his passion and desire after so many long years in the game, and his drive to succeed every year - that competitive edge that drove him to be and to remain at number one.
From a business point of view, I believe there are four powerful lessons to be learned from Fergie’s long life in football...

1. Manage your people
Listen to any of the tributes from past players or coaching staff, even those who Fergie publicly fell out with, and you will pick up on one thing...they all respect him.  He didn’t try to be loved, or even liked by his players - the success of the club was always the primary aim - but he clearly gave them what they needed to fulfil their potential and grow as people as well as players.
For me the lessons here are clear...
Hire people who fit the team; who have the skills you need; who share your values, your commitment and your work ethic.  Get close to them; understand them; understand what motivates them - the ‘hairdryer treatment’ or an encouraging word.  When individuals do not perform to your standard, or to their capabilities...when they begin to de-stabilise the team...deal with them...quickly.  No matter how good they are, one individual will never be more important than the team or your business.


2. Adapt
Fergie is hailed as the greatest ever because he achieved success with 4 different squads.  He changed his personnel; he adapted.  What is recognised less, is that he changed the structure of the club, upgraded the facilities, built the club’s profile internationally and brought more money into the business to fund future players and future growth.  He recognised that football is big business, and to stay on top you have to look as well as act the part.
The lessons...
Stay fresh, keep learning, and when new competitors enter the market, react.  Be willing to make changes to your product, your system, your service model. Invest in your infrastructure, and be willing to take calculated risks.  Adapt and stay one step ahead of the competition.

3. Focus on Process, Systems and your culture
Manchester United is a business that operates through tried and tested process and systems, as you would expect from a company listed on the stock exchange.  Those processes and systems extend right down to the team and the coaches and are built around a set of values and a strong culture that every individual within the club buys into.  Listen to new players talking about how easy it is to settle into the club, and this is why...the ‘way we do things around here’ ...the culture...backed up by a well practised, well drilled routine...makes life simple and straightforward...and creates a platform for your high performing team.
The lessons...
Design your culture around your values.  Be the example of the standards of excellence, of commitment, of passion, that you want to see in your team.  Give them simple and effective processes to follow.  Recognise them for great performance.  Reprimand them when they do something that goes against the culture of your business.  Make it easy and enjoyable to join and be part of your high performing team.  Make it desirable for those high performers not yet part of your business.

4. Never be satisfied
While he may occasionally have been satisfied after a particular performance, Fergie’s desire was always to improve for the long-term.  He was driven as a manager to be better tomorrow than he was today; to enjoy success for the moment, but always to look forward to the next match, the next success.  No one in his team was ever allowed to believe that one success, one trophy was enough...resting on your laurels was a recipe for a move to another club.
The lessons...
Never be satisfied with today’s success - celebrate it and enjoy the moment, but tomorrow prepare for your next challenge.  The business world is full of people who took their eye off the ball as a result of success - Nokia the business that springs most readily to mind.  Foster a spirit of continuous improvement and make it part of your business DNA to ensure continued success and business growth.
I met Sir Alex once...lovely man...generous with his time and with his words.  I shall miss him as the manager of my club, but I’ll always have him as a role model for my business.  A work in progress you might say...

Contact Marianne Page Limited at hello@mariannepage.co.uk

I’ve been writing a book for the last 6 months...I’ll admit I’ve always wanted to, but never really thought I would until I went on a business development programme that more or less insists that you write one (KPI).   It’s no Fifty Shades of Grey (...that’s a good thing...right?!) and it’s unlikely to sell more copies than I have friends and family...but it’s been a fascinating process pulling it together.
We talked in a previous blog about the importance of knowing your own value ...understanding what you are worth...your unique place in the world...but few of us ever take the time or have the need to sit down and really think about it.  Write a book...and it becomes an absolute necessity.
First, you have to get to grips with what you’re really passionate about...what do you believe in enough...and know enough about to fill 200 pages?  Then you have to be clear how getting what you know down onto paper will help other people...what problem are you solving...who has this problem...how many of them are there? ...and then of course, you have to write the damn thing in a way that engages them.

For me personally, it reminded me that what I’m passionate about, and know better than anything else, is process and systems, and how to use them to create high performing teams.  You can’t work for McDonald’s for over twenty years and not understand the power of process...but yet it’s the book writing process that’s given me real clarity and confidence in my ability to truly help and give value to Bright’s customers.

Writing a book is challenging, it’s fun and it’s a real business booster if you get it right.  As for engaging...well, I’ll let you be the judge of that!

Contact Marianne Page Limited at hello@mariannepage.co.uk